Vanda Institute Making Progress
I am so happy today to be able to join with all of you again to present diplomas for 4,174 graduates of the Vanda Institute. On behalf of the Royal Government, I would take this occasion to express my sincere and high evaluation of the progress made by the Vanda Institute in relation to human resource training, which is playing a major part in the country’s development. With the work carried out by the institute, batches of graduates have recorded and more than 7,000 are still pursuing their study. Progress from one stage to the other has eventually given the institute chance to expand to a stage in which it consists of so many faculties.
I am giving my appreciation to the efforts made by leaders as well as professors of the institute who contribute to training human resource and give my sincere thanks for 444 scholarships provided to me and I have distributed them among those who need them. I am sure some of the scholarship students are among those of graduates today […]
Peace, Private Sector Investment Better Chance for Human Resource Training
Dr. Heng Vanda mentioned about our hard-won peace that is the core force allowing us to do what we need to. Were there no peace, we would not have the chance to set out national development like this. Should there be only peace, without appropriate policy framework allowing for private investment in area of human resource training, our youth would not have the chance to have access to education in great number too. The Royal Government’s policy was to allow private sector to partake in human resource development through the establishment of private educational institutions and fee-paying programs. State universities would not be able to absorb all of them.
Adding on to what the private sector investment in education, the Royal Government has also allowed its educational establishments to provide fee-paying in addition to full-scholarship programs. Own efforts made by students along with savings of families for their studies are more important, though. We will continue to work hard for human resource training. The Royal Government, among its four priorities, which used to be water/irrigation, roads, electricity and human, has in this term made human resource its first among all fours […]
Establishing Auction Commission of Confiscated Illegal Logs
It was in this meaning that we had added more resource into education … I have declared that confiscated illegal logs will not be auctioned to export for external markets. All confiscated logs could be of use in interest of education like building schools, homes for teaching staff, etc. However, going through various serious discussion, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports does not have the ability to manage a nearly 70,000 cubic meter logs itself. It is in this state of mind that the Ministry requested for an auction for local use. As Prime Minister, I also see that the Ministry would not be able to get those logs out of forest for that purpose. Therefore, I agree to the request. We also see that there is growing local demand too. It is in this understanding that we will establish a commission to auction the confiscated logs for local use in local markets and not for export. Fund earned from the auction will add to the budget of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. It is a way of converting from logs into cash and the cash will go into building homes for teaching staff. We need to be flexible here […]
Knowledge – Subject to No Loss
I would take this opportune moment to express my sincere appreciation and greeting to graduates who will receive their diplomas today. This dignifies their efforts and symbolizes not only their individual endeavors but also those of their love ones and families, who could be waiting outside for memory photos. That is a heritage. It will not subject to loss by anyhow. Parents could share some of their wealth with their children, and it is good if there are, however, property as such would not last forever. They could deplete by any means ranging from fire to mismanagement. However, sharing or inheriting knowledge is the most important as it will stay with them forever. It is not drying. I am giving you all my appreciations and would like to share joy with your families and our nation. I hope that every family will take similar benefit in own families’ development and contributing to national development as a whole.
No End to Study
I am appealing to you to make further efforts and consider that achieving diplomas today is just an end of another stage and a new stage could commence. No one could have learnt everything and ended his/her study. Study has no limit. Situation evolves. We must learn every day and cannot be idle. Being inactive, we may become conservative and it would be dangerous. Conservatism resembles figuratively a piece of stone preventing new growing buds. However, I think number of people with conservatism dwindles down. In older day, when you are young, people would say you are not able to do anything. They would see maturity in someone with white hairs.
In 1980s, as I could remember, I struggled hard with many of this issue. I was foreign minister in 1979 when I was 27 years old. I became Deputy Prime Minister when I was 29 years old. Some ministers in those days teased me that I was a kid. However, I have proven all along that this kid minister was the only one that stands in the Government from 8 January 1979 to today. This is not what we have achieved with any force outside but our efforts and attract supports from in the leadership as well as from the mass. Incompetent leader would be unable to lead the country. It is in this note that I am encouraging graduates today to make further efforts, either by pursuing formal education or by own study.
Right, Freedom of Expression Must Abide By Law
Situation evolves every day. Climate change evolves and requires knowledge. Technology advanced rapidly and challenges are out there without rule of regulation to teach us how to respond to them. There is no school in the world where they teach people to become Prime Minister, minister or President. In Cambodia, perhaps there are a few people, who claimed to be ones to teach others so. Some thought they are more competent and knowledgeable than Prime Ministers or Presidents. Every time they take the floors, they would brag Prime Minister should do this, President should do that […]
Some have claimed to know everything. Sometimes, without even listening to the end of the story, they threw out their concluded ideas. It is their rights. I just wish to reiterate that your rights stops where other people’s rights begin. If you infringe upon other people’s rights, you definitely violate law. The Royal Government will do anything to keep peace and political stability for the country’s development. Committed wrongdoings, those people must be held accountable before law. Some people must not confuse about unconditional release. If we were to do so, there would not be law. We have some examples in this world. Peace is hard to find and we had lost many lives to secure it […]
Illegal Color Revolution Will Face Arrest
… I have made it clear to Samdech Sar Kheng and other leaders to worry no more about color. Whatever the color will be, we must take actions. I would warn those who mobilize such thing. The one who has provided money to print (T) shirts should be careful. We know who you are. They refer to different colors in various places – orange, red or black. I would tell them, whatever the color maybe, we will take actions. The court is there to implement laws, the armed forces to defend state, jails for prisoners […]
As long as it is the court procedure, I would not have rights to intervene. When the procedure is over, the verdict is in place, it will then be the Prime Minister’s power to act. The law permits Prime Minister to propose to HM the King to grant a pardon. If you are doing thing worsen the situation … the Royal Government would not back down because it is a matter of security for millions of people, not a few. I would urge them to seek the best lawyers to discharge the issue according to law and refrain from putting pressure (on the Royal Government) by so and so color […]
You must remember that rights and freedom go along with respect of law. You cannot have all the rights in negligence of other people’s rights and rule of law. Your freedom of expression must respect law. Our aim is to keep peace, political stability and driving development […]
People Can’t Grow Dry Season Rice, Crops for Drought
… We have seen already that this year we are facing a prolonged disaster of drought and unprecedented heat wave. We now know that people will not be able to cultivate second-time dry season rice, the one that people normally cultivate after they harvested in July the one they started growing in late April or early May … The weather condition in this year is the worst. Drought prolongs. Water table level drops lower than usual. Many wells dried out. We are in midst of largest campaign ever to supply people with water for consumption. We are working to get water five million cubic meters from the Komping Puoy reservoir in Battambang province to Banteay Meanjei province through a 100 Kilometers canal. It has now reached the river at Bovel district and we still need to continue with pumping […]
People’s cultivation of other crops such as corn, sesame, etc. is also suffering impacts. There had been some rains in some places but the amount of water were just for feeding animals. In some areas, rains had come with strong wind blowing down people’s homes. While we are this busy, they bothered us with freedom of speech. Please exercise rights within a space allowed by law … I would take this moment to appeal to our people to continue to make efforts in helping our people in time of difficulties. We must keep up providing people with water for consumption. We also keep on with the works to restore old reservoirs and dig new ones, wells, etc. I sensed that we need a certain time to provide water to people in areas where rains have yet to come […]
Next week I will leave for Russia to conduct visit to Russia and to attend the 20th commemorative ASEAN-Russia summit. I will be absent for some days. However, with technology such as Whatsapp, Telegram or Line, through which one can get information quickly, the world has shrunk small. I will have information as things happen. If situation is unfavorable, I could stay. I think I could go, though./.